Soviet chess grandmaster Boris Spassky, best known for his legendary 1972 World Chess Championship match against American Bobby Fischer, has died at the age of 88, the Chess Federation of Russia confirmed on Thursday.
Describing his passing as a “great loss to the country,” the federation noted that generations of chess players had studied his matches. Soviet grandmaster Anatoly Karpov was among the first to react, calling Spassky “one of my main idols.”
Born in 1937 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Spassky demonstrated exceptional talent from an early age, becoming a junior world champion and the youngest grandmaster in history at the time at just 18. His aggressive playing style and fearless sacrifices set him apart in the Soviet chess scene.
In 1969, he defeated compatriot Tigran Petrosian to claim the world title, but he held it for only three years before losing to Fischer in what became known as “The Match of the Century.” Played in Iceland at the height of the Cold War, the match symbolized the East-West geopolitical rivalry. Although Spassky started strong, Fischer staged a remarkable comeback to win, ending the Soviet Union’s dominance in world chess since 1948.
Following his loss, Spassky fell out of favor in the Soviet Union and later moved to France in 1976, becoming a French citizen two years later. He re-emerged in the spotlight in 1992 when he played an unofficial rematch against Fischer in Yugoslavia.
His later years were marked by health struggles, including two strokes, and a return to Russia in 2012 against the wishes of his wife and sister. In 2008, he visited Fischer’s grave in Iceland and reportedly joked, “Do you think the neighboring spot is available?”
Spassky lived in Moscow until his passing, with his relatives confirming his death to Russian chess authorities.
